- US, Iranian regimes exchange intensifying fire across Persian Gulf
Source: Associated Press
“The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf. The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The U.S. struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well. But Thursday’s attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries from attacks claimed by Iran’s military.” (07/09/26)
https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-oil-july-9-2026-0472764b119d7aa204de4f7f5e44a9bf
- Russia: Ukrainian drones batter oil facilities, set more tankers ablaze
Source: AOL
“Ukrainian drones on Thursday hit more Russian oil facilities and set two oil tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture the Patriot air defense systems. … Early Thursday, a Ukrainian drone strike triggered a fire at an oil depot in the city of Tver in western Russia, according to acting regional Gov. Vitaly Korolyov. And in the southern Stavropol region, Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov said oil reservoirs has been set ablaze by Ukrainian drones in Vyazniki. … In the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers ablaze, according to Rostov Gov. Yuri Slusar, who said that one of the ships was still burning and the crews were evacuated.” (07/09/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/ukrainian-drones-batter-russian-oil-075400000.html
- ME: Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Democrats to replace him
Source: NBC News
“Graham Platner announced Wednesday he’s ending his Senate campaign, capping a chaotic few days of uncertainty and Democratic infighting and leaving the party without a candidate in the vitally important Maine race this fall. The announcement by the populist [sic] progressive [sic] came after a woman he dated accused him of sexual assault in 2021, causing his support to hemorrhage even among top Democratic allies, who rescinded their endorsements and called on him to drop out.” (07/08/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/graham-platner-drops-senate-bid-maine-rcna353199
- Trump to ask SCOTUS for new hearing on whether he can repeal constitutional provisions by executive order
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“US President Donald Trump says he plans to ask the United States Supreme Court to rehear a recent case which struck down his order to end birthright citizenship for all individuals born in the US. The court last month rejected Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in the US, but speaking on Wednesday, the president said he will ask for the case to be heard again. … Trump called the latest ruling ‘too bad for our country’ and appealed to Republicans in Congress to pass legislation constricting birthright citizenship. That will likely prove to be an uphill battle, with public opinion polls regularly showing strong public support for the practice and the Supreme Court’s majority opinion [noting that] a constitutional amendment would be required.” (07/09/26)
- Judge orders sexual assailant to pay $5.8 million he owes to victim
Source: The Hill
“A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of $5.8 million to E. Jean Carroll three years after the jury awarded payment for damages caused by President Trump. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Carroll should receive the funds, which were placed in an escrow account while Trump appealed a verdict that found him liable for defaming Carroll. During his first term in the Oval Office, Trump said Carroll’s claims that he sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan were a ‘con job’ and ‘hoax.’ A jury determined his statements were defamatory and negatively impacted Carroll professionally. The Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal to overturn the case without an explanation or reasoning last week. … Trump’s lawyers appealed Kaplan’s ruling less than an hour after it was issued.” (07/08/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5959559-judge-orders-5m-release-carroll
- Germany: Berlin court sentences a doctor to life for murdering 15 patients under palliative care
Source: Associated Press
“A Berlin court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a German doctor to life in prison on charges of murdering 15 of his patients who were under palliative care, in a case involving allegations he torched the homes of victims to try to cover up the crimes. The 41-year-old doctor, who has only been identified as Johannes M. in line with Germany’s privacy rules, went on trial nearly a year ago at a Berlin state court. Part of an end-of-life care team at a nursing service in Berlin, he was initially suspected of the deaths of four patients. Prosecutors eventually accused him of the deaths of 15 people between September 2021 and July 2024. The Berlin court found the physician administered a lethal mixture of various medications to 12 women and three men, German news agency dpa reported.” (07/08/26)
- LPR cameras are watching you
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal“One of the most important fights in our lifetime, a fight for the future of America, is shaping up right over our heads. It’s the fight against license plate reader cameras and the related spyware that is already being used against you and your liberty. This may even be more important and urgent than defending the natural human right to own and to carry weapons without government interference. These data collectors will be used to violate your right to bear arms and all your other rights as well. If this is to be stopped, it must be stopped now. Before long, it will be too entrenched to stop.” (07/08/26)
- The Economic Morality of Rotisserie Chicken
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Angelo Monaco“Inflation has hit grocery bills hard over the last four years, making it incredibly difficult for middle- and lower-income families to stretch a budget. For $4.99, a family can provide a meal by buying a whole, fully cooked, three pound chicken. Pound for pound, it is one of the most efficient, nutritious, and accessible sources of lean protein available in the modern marketplace; it costs significantly less than one Big Mac while providing vastly superior nutritional value. … When describing my observation to a group of academics, rather than commenting on the economics of this phenomenon they angrily asked, ‘Do you consider the treatment of all those chickens to be fair?’ Huh?” (07/08/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-economic-morality-of-rotisserie-chicken
- Warren’s Plan To “Fix” Social Security Would Be Largest Tax Increase in Over 40 Years
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm“Her plan is being pitched as a tax on the wealthy, but half the burden would fall on businesses. That would have dire consequences for the economy.” (07/08/26)
- A Song of FIRE and ICE
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson“Can we all agree that Todd Lyons is kind of a sissy? The former acting director of ICE, the immigration enforcement agency that Donald Trump uses as his personal, occasionally homicidal goon squad, received an email nastygram from the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut, David Streever, who is exactly the kind of imposing, Jason Statham-esque tough guy you’d figure the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut is going to be. The email was pretty mild stuff—Shame on you, basically. Compared him to a Nazi, etc. Lyons, who has 22,000 armed agents at his disposal, was so freaked out that he sent ICE agents to Streeter’s house and then tracked him down while he was traveling with his 7-year-old daughter.” (07/08/26)
- Don’t Lock Young Americans Into Social Security
Source: RealClearPolitics
by Sam Raus“The Social Security trust fund is projected to run out of money by 2032. Without legislative reforms, retirement benefits for tens of millions of Americans could face significant cuts. As lawmakers debate how to preserve the program, most proposals focus on raising payroll tax revenue or making other budgetary adjustments. But these discussions miss a larger point: The program itself is increasingly ill-suited for younger generations. Rather than forcing Americans into a system that may not deliver on its promises, policymakers should allow young workers to opt out and prepare for retirement in their own way.” (07/07/26)
- We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism
Source: American Greatness
by Ned Ryun & Ed McFadden“On the nation’s 250th anniversary, the mayor of the country’s largest city sat at a desk once used by George Washington and told Americans what was wrong with American exceptionalism. The story of this country, he said, has too often been written by people told they did not belong. Its achievements were really won by the excluded, in spite of America. Dissent, not gratitude, he intoned, is the truest form of patriotism. It was a deceptive speech, and it deserves a response grounded in facts because the argument now runs well beyond one mayor. A rising movement has made the critique of exceptionalism something close to a creed. And it rests on a lie so foundational that, once revealed, the falsehood collapses. The lie is this: that American exceptionalism means Americans are exceptional people.” (07/08/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/07/08/we-must-have-a-rebirth-of-instinctive-patriotism/
- The Resilience Paradox: How Military Strikes Are Bolstering Iran’s Cohesion
Source: Antiwar.com
by Peter Rodgers“Wars are seldom judged fairly in the immediate aftermath. Generals and analysts often focus on tallies of destroyed sites, intercepted projectiles, and tactical wins. Yet the deeper political fallout usually surfaces later – and it has a habit of defying the expectations of those who started the fight. History offers plenty of examples where short-term military victories sowed the seeds of longer-term strategic setbacks. This reality merits close attention when evaluating the recent U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran. The central issue may not be simply how much Iranian military hardware was damaged. More important is whether the conflict has reshaped Iran’s internal politics in ways that run counter to what Washington and its partners hoped. If the goal of prolonged sanctions, isolation, and military action was to erode the Islamic Republic’s governing strength, the picture that’s emerging looks more nuanced than many anticipated.” (07/08/26)
- The Science of Politics, 07/08/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“The rise of small donors is mostly making politics worse.” (07/08/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-rise-of-small-donors-is-mostly-making-politics-worse/
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/08/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Can We Stop The Military Merger With Israel? With Guest Dennis Kuciinich.” (07/08/26)